Samurai Heart
by Cosette Crystalline
Summary: A story that has never been told, except in the darkest legends. Everyone was young once, but how does a young warrior become the leader of the Dynasty? Rated PG-13 for future violence, possibility of higher rating depending on how things go. Warnings: um


Well, here's chapter one. This fic was originally started by Star Dragonsong, but just the first half or so. And if I remember correctly, we both came up with the idea... at the same time or something like that. But since that was about five or six years ago I really don't remember. I did edit and add to the part she had written, and most is mine. And the rest will all be mine, I just wanted to give her some credit. I think I am actually taking it an entirely different direction than she was... like she was going to make it into a romance? I don't know. We were young then, many things can be forgiven. I am hoping to tell the story of one of the most ignored characters in Samurai Troopers, Arago. Anyways, enough of that. On with it. Hope you enjoy it!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yoroiden Samurai Troopers or any of its characters. All characters not in the original series belong to me. I also do not own butterflies, dragons, or rivers. They belong to themselves.  
  
Samurai Heart  
A Yoroiden Samurai Troopers Fanfic  
By: Cosette Crystalline  
  
Chapter 1  
The Crimson Butterfly  
  
He quickly dodged the blow that was meant to finish him. I'm going to have to be more careful, Arago thought. His opponent was an old female dragon, one as old as the mountains she slept in. "The older they are, the crankier they get when you wake them up," he murmured under his breath. She was beautiful. One of the most magnificent creatures on earth. Her beauty was in her flowing movements, in the flawless way she fought. While she was fighting, her hard, green and purple scales glistened in the sun light. It was the beauty of a stalking predator, captivating and deadly at the same time. The dragon's eyes held wisdom that was older than any mortals, older even than most dragons. Arago almost could not kill it. Unfortunately, the dragon was as large as a small village, and used that advantage to terrorize towns that lay at the bottom of the mountain where her lair was. She had killed many in her day and he had to stop it. That is what heroes did after all. He hefted his sword and let out a mighty yell, pushing the sword directly into one of the faulty scales on her underbelly.  
  
The dragon screamed in rage as she felt the youth pull the sword out of her chest. She had not expected it to find her weakness, the scale closest to her heart. She tried frantically to take the human down with her, but this was a smart one. It knew her tricks. Despair filled her as the great beast died with one last flicker of flame.  
  
"Well, that's over," Arago sighed, and removing his helmet. Under the shiny armor was a young blond boy with shoulder length hair that was pulled into a braid. He was extremely muscular, giving him a bulky frame. His eyes were the color of blue crystals, which never failed to charm the ladies. But to tell the truth, he would rather do without them.  
  
In his opinion, girls were nothing but chatter. Pretty face, no brains. Occasionally he would find someone to... keep warm with... but those never lasted long. Now, if he could find an Amazon, like in the legends... No, he cut himself off; those were just myths and wives tales.  
  
Arago went over to the great beast's head and held it by the mane. "Too bad you weren't human, eh?" he told the dead creature. "You would have been smart, pretty, and would have known a thing or two about a sword. But no, most human fathers waste their daughters, turning their minds to muddle." Arago carefully peeled away some of the sharp scales and drew his sword.  
  
"You'd better not stink. I hate the smell of decay," he told the dragon, cutting the head from the body. "Now to take you to the nearest town and collect my prize. It will be nice to sleep in a warm bed for once, as long as the prize is money." The youth felt disappointment wash over him like a flood. The most likely reward was a young maiden's hand, and then he would have to leave the town before he could have dinner to avoid her.  
  
Before bagging the head, he told it one more thing. "You know, sometimes I don't know which is worse: slaying, or being slain," sighing, he put the head in the bag and started down the mountain.  
  
* * *  
  
Upon reaching the town, he found a small girl around 5 or 6 playing near a river that ran down the mountain. She was tall for her age and had long blue hair that went down to her knees. She was on a log that reached out into the river. Presently, she was staring out looking for trout in the fast moving water. The little girl spun around when she heard him coming.  
  
"Hello, mister! Are you a traveler?" she asked with a slight lisp.  
  
"Why, yes," he replied, "You don't happen to know if there is a place I could stay for a night, do you?"  
  
"Oh yes! My daddy can help you!" she cried, getting up from her perch on the log. Her bare foot was caught in a hole on the fallen tree, and she screamed as she fell into the gushing river.  
  
Thanking whatever gods existed for taking off his armor before hand; Arago dropped the head and dove in after the little girl. At first all he could see was the deep blue hue of the river spirit. It mocked him, changed him, to find the girl. Arago headed into the current, knowing that the spirit meant to test him. Fighting the current with his strong arms, he began to calculate how long it would take to tire him out. The flow of the river pushed against him, telling him to turn back. He did not want to swim, it told him. He was tired. So very tired. Give up. A picture of a pleasant relaxing bank of the river was placed in his head. Go rest on shore, there is nothing you need to do here. Why even save her? She will die someday anyway.  
  
He resisted the voice, and concentrated on the girl. Just when he could endure it no longer, the force that pressed against him disappeared. In front of him was the blue haired girl he had met earlier. She was about to give up trying to stay above the water when she sighted the blond youth.  
  
"Grab on to me!" he gasped, fighting for the breath to talk. She nodded in compliance and wrapped her arms around his neck. Arago noted how loose her grip was and headed for the bank. He was able to pull himself and the child on the dry ground before he collapsed from exhaustion. All was dark.  
  
* * *  
  
The first thing he felt when he woke up was every bruise and ache on his body. Fighting dragons and swimming against the will of river spirits in one day has that affect, he thought, trying to get up. He concluded that sitting up was not going to be a good idea and just laid on the bed, letting the headache overcome his will to do anything.  
  
There was a chuckle on the right side of where he lay. "I see the young hero has wakened. I was beginning to wonder."  
  
Forcing his eyes open, he saw an older man about thirty to forty years old. He had dark brown hair and tiger blue eyes. Though he was tall and lank, his strong arms bespoke of hidden strength. The man wore a scarlet blue kimono that was common to the region. Besides him, standing on the chair, was the little girl from before. "W-where am I?" Arago asked.  
  
"You are in my home. I must thank you for saving my daughter's life." He gestured toward the girl.  
  
Trying to sit up, Arago fell back down in pain. "Please Mister! You should not sit!" the blue haired girl cried as she jumped off the chair and ran over to help him. The silk of her light pink kimono brushed against his face. Judging by the quality of the fabric, this was no poor family.  
  
"It was no trouble sir," he managed to say.  
  
"No trouble, eh?" The older man chuckled again. "No trouble and yet you can barely sit. Aya owes you her life, and I Raul of the ancient clan, am greatly indebted to you."  
  
Arago's mind was spinning. The ancient's clan! That was one of the most well known clans in all of Japan. The clan was famous for the many fine warriors and mages it produced. To meet someone of the clan was a great honor; much less have them owe their life to minor warrior like him.  
  
"You should rest. My wife, Lienda, will be in with your supper shortly. Come Aya." He motioned for the girl to follow.  
  
Before she would comply, she spoke to Arago. "Thank you, mister!" With that comment, she ran from the room. The girl was followed by an amused Raul.  
  
I am one of the luckiest men in the world, to have saved someone of the ancient clan. Arago thought before the wife came in with his meal.  
  
She was a beautiful creature, and the fact that her hips had widened in childbirth only enhanced her lusciousness. "Welcome to our home." She said her voice as soothing as a light summer rain. "My name is Lienda; just call me if you need anything else." She smiled, and left the room. Raul was a lucky man.  
  
The supper was superb, consisting of smoked trout from the river and dried greens. A lavish meal, more like a feast, that saved no expense.  
  
Not only have I saved someone of the ancient clan, but one with a rich father. With that thought, he slipped peacefully back into oblivion.  
  
* * *  
"Well, what is your boon going to be?"  
  
Arago looked up from his meal at the unexpected question. It was three days after he had saved little Aya from the river, and the family had been nursing him back to health ever since. Most of the time, after he did something heroic, people would offer him a nights lodging, than move him on his way. Not that he blamed them, most traveling warriors such as himself tended to be good in the short term, but very bad in the long term. Most of them, when trouble did not surface on its own, tended to make some for themselves. Most of them were just disgusting in Arago's opinion. But that was beside the point. The point was, that most people would not have kept a vagabond in there house for any length of time, and to do so was considered a kindness. More than enough payment for saving a life. That was what he was supposed to be doing after all. "What are you talking about? What do you mean boon?"  
  
Lienda explained it to him. "A person who saves a member of the ancient ones' clan is granted one boon. It can be anything, money, treasure, food. The map to the best breweries in the world. As long as it is not particularly harmful, the ancient can give you just about anything you wish."  
"How come I have never heard of this before?" Arago asked, truly confused. Because of the mercenary nature of his job, Arago had studied every major reward that was to be had, and thought... well, he used to think that he knew ever one of them. The powers of the ancients were great and he could not believe that there was absolutely no record of such a grand gift.  
  
"We try to keep it as secret as possible. Every man who leaves with a boon swears on the Rock of Oaths, which binds the oath-taker to his promise: that he will not reveal where his newfound fortune came from. We are afraid that if this ever got out there would be people staging rescues just to get a hold of a boon. This would put many of our people in danger, and we would have to stop giving boons, which would only make the situation worse. We just want to give a gift to a deserving warrior, so it must be kept secret." Raul said, finishing up his breakfast. He looked at Arago expectantly. "So, what do you want?"  
  
Thinking for a second Arago replied, "I will have to think on it a bit. I can not make such an important decision in a rush."  
  
Raul smiled. "That is wise of you. The last man who was granted a boon spoke up right away, without a thought. I think that such haste shows ignorance."  
  
"Or perhaps he was just sure of what he wanted." Arago said, not knowing exactly why he was defending the unknown soldier.  
  
"Are you not sure of what you want, young warrior?" Lienda said as she began to clear the plates from breakfast. She smiled becomingly down at him, and he could not help but be swept up by her beauty. Raul really was a lucky man...  
  
"Arago! Arago! Look what I found! Tell me what it is!" Aya came running in from the outside, holding something in her hand. The little girl had decided that Arago was her new best friend. He enjoyed her company, and her excitement with the world at large. She followed him everywhere and loved to ask him questions about the things that were outside her own village. They would sit for hours with him telling her stories of magical creatures, daring sword fights, and foreign lands.  
  
"Let's see what you have there." Arago said, hoping that it wasn't something that would cause havoc in the dining room like the frog Aya had brought in last week. Aya opened her tiny hands and a crimson butterfly opened its wings. "Why it is a butterfly!" Arago said, "Have you never seen a butterfly before now."  
  
"Yes...." Aya said, "I didn't know what it was called."  
  
"We don't get many around here." Raul explained, "They are very rare."  
  
The butterfly's wings sparkled in the light from the window. It staid on Aya's hand as if it knew it was being talked about and would not be harmed.  
  
"Let me tell you about the butterfly," Arago said. "It is an amazing creature. The first part of its life it is an ugly caterpillar, which is kind of like a fuzzy worm with legs. It spends the entire first part of its life eating and growing so that it will grow larger and larger. After it has grown large enough it spins a cocoon around itself, and it stays in there for quite some time. Then it emerges as a butterfly, like the one you are now holding. No one really knows what goes on in the cocoon, but the ugly, dull caterpillar is transformed into a bright butterfly."  
  
The butterfly flew out of Aya's hands and fluttered around the room, then landed on Lienda's dress.  
  
"Look mommy, it likes you!" Aya said. "We should keep it!"  
  
"You can't keep it," Arago said. "It will not live that much longer. Butterfly's only live for one or two weeks. It will shorten its life if it can't be outside. Also it will have to mate and lay more eggs for more caterpillars."  
  
"It's going to die! But it worked so hard to be a butterfly!"  
  
Raul interceded, "A butterfly is a good symbol for the warrior, Aya. It takes all this time to prepare, only to display it's bright colors for short period of glory. It's has a short life, but it is not forgotten by those who enjoy its beauty. And there will be more butterflies' next spring."  
  
The butterfly was still on Lienda's dress. Then she moved a bit and it flew away and out the window. They all watched it fly out. Arago thought that at least this butterfly would stay in there memories. Raul was so wise... Arago had never thought of a butterfly in quite that way before. But Aya was looking at her father with reproach. Then she turned back to Arago.  
  
"Then why does it matter if I keep it? If it is going to die soon anyway, what does a couple of days one way or the other matter?"  
  
"It deserves to be free. That is what would shorten it's life; loss of freedom." Arago told her. She thought it over. It was slightly amusing seeing such a serious expression on one so young.  
  
"You so smart Arago!" She said smiling, folding both her hands behind her back.  
  
"Hey, AAAAAAYYYYYYYAAAAAAAA!" called a young voice from the outside, "Come back out and PPPPLLLLAAAAYYYYYYAY!"  
  
"Be right there!" Aya said running back outside with a second glance.  
  
"It's about time for me to going. There is going to be a lot of work done on the council today." Raul said, getting up from the table. "Arago, you think about that boon. You'll be wanting to leave soon, I know your kind." And with that Raul smiled and walked out the door.  
  
"Can I help you clean up the dishes, Lienda?" Arago asked.  
  
"I'm not going to say no!" Lienda exclaimed and Arago followed her with the dishes. They sat next to each other washing the dishes and having a nice conversation. Lienda told him about her childhood, and how the female members of the clan learned the way of the warrior along with the males. But her calling had been to her family, and not to the hard life of a priest or warrior. Spirited and witty, Arago found himself telling her about his younger days as a farmer's son, and learning the sword from an old soldier who had decided to take up farming. Lienda had such a trustworthy relaxing presence and was nothing like most women he met. Raul really was a lucky man....  
  
***  
"Are we sure this one deserves our gift?"  
"Just as much as any other, my friend."  
  
"I do not know... he is a catalyst, and change follows him. Whether it is good change or bad change...."  
  
"I have let him into my home. He is a good man."  
  
"Now. He is a good man now. People change."  
  
"And some people don't. Whatever his fate may be, we still have our promise."  
  
"Raul is right! This one is no different from the others!"  
  
"I will agree than. He will have his gift... but I still have a bad feeling..."  
  
***  
The evening light shone into the shrine at the village. If one walked into the shrine they would see nothing. Or well, no one anyway. No one was allowed in the shrine. But if one did happen to walk inside of it they would see a two steps leading up to a stage. The only thing on this stage would be a suit of armor. It almost looked alive the way it was sitting on its chair, as if it was waiting for something. The twilight hit it and the white armor gleamed. And the ever present cherry blossoms floated down around it.  
  
AN: I just want to say that I know that cherry blossoms are not always in season. Just working with the spirit of the show :-P. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. 


End file.
